St Mary's Catholic High School, Manchester
St Mary's Catholic High School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 18 in Manchester. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 32nd-highest of the 62 schools in Manchester with published results, and 1,449th of 3,298 across England. It was 93% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
- Progress (2024)
- Below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Wigan (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Mary's Catholic High School in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at St Mary's Catholic High School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 47.1, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45.8 in Wigan and 47 across England.
46% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 43% in Wigan and 47% in England.
That is up from 44.2 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.2: pupils made below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 38.2, against 49.2 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 11 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 25 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and History.
Getting a place at St Mary's Catholic High School
For September 2026 entry, 262 families put St Mary's Catholic High School as their first choice and 554 named it as one of their preferences, for 256 places offered. That is slightly more first choices than places. 12 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St Mary's Catholic High School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to St Mary's Catholic High School are Bedford High School (1.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49.2); Fred Longworth High School (1.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 47.9); Atherton High School (2.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46.2); and The Lowry Academy (2.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 42.1).
St Mary's Catholic High School's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
Bedford High SchoolFred Longworth High SchoolAtherton High SchoolThe Lowry Academy
What parents say
155 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Mary's Catholic High School (as of September 2025): 81% would recommend the school, 81% say their child is happy there and 60% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school has high expectations for their child (85%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (60%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 244 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 86% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 35% to a further education college, 5% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.
Of the 102 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 39% went on to university or other higher education, 13% to apprenticeships and 27% into work. 14% went to one of the most selective third of universities.
Who goes there
9.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (73%) and Black (8%).
In 2026, 191 pupils (12.4%) received SEN support and 40 (2.6%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is a moderate learning difficulty.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Atherton Rail Station, about 2.4 miles away in a straight line.
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Mary's High School (w-bound), 50 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Mary's Catholic High School issued 280 suspensions, 17.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 3 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to St Mary's Catholic High School are St Ambrose Barlow Catholic Primary School (0.2 miles), St Stephen's CofE Primary School (0.5 miles), Tyldesley Primary School (1 mile) and St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School (1.2 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
St Ambrose Barlow Catholic Primary SchoolSt Stephen's CofE Primary SchoolTyldesley Primary SchoolSt Gabriel's Catholic Primary School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from April 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
There is a real sense of community at this school. Older pupils enjoy running clubs for younger pupils. For instance, pupils in Year 11 run a boys' choir. Students in the sixth form are directing the whole-school production. Alongside developing pupils' interests and talents, this fosters strong and caring relationships. Pupils feel comfortable and happy in school.
The school's expectations of pupils' achievement, particularly those who are disadvantaged, have risen considerably. Pupils benefit from high-quality pastoral care. Most pupils achieve well across a range of subjects.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school has ensured that the curriculum is broad and ambitious. It has identified the key knowledge that pupils should learn. In most subjects, the curriculum allows key concepts to be revisited so that, over time, pupils build a secure body of knowledge. Teachers are knowledgeable about their subjects. In the main, teachers deliver the curriculum as leaders intend. They frequently check what pupils have learned. However, at times, some teachers do not use assessment information as effectively as they could to address gaps in learning. This results in some pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), not embedding knowledge.
Teachers consistently follow the school's 'think first, think twice' policy to ensure that disadvantaged pupils are supported well in lessons. This helps to ensure that these pupils are prioritised for support. Coupled with high expectations and clear identification of barriers to learning, this results in these pupils are learning better than they have previously.
From Ofsted's October 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its April 2019 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
About
St Mary's Catholic High School, also known as St Mary's Catholic High School and Sixth Form College, is a Roman Catholic secondary school and sixth form in Astley, in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
18.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
155 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has improved from -0.34 to -0.20 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 46.3 to 47.1 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has remained stable at around 46% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 47.1 | 45.8% |
| Disadvantaged(48) | - | 38.2 | 27.1% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(205) | - | 49.2 | 50.2% |
| Boys(122) | - | 43.6 | 38.5% |
| Girls(131) | - | 50.4 | 52.7% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(32) | - | 51.6 | 43.8% |
| Non mobile(244) | - | 47.8 | 47.5% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 5 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 244 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
3
Permanent exclusions
0.19%
Exclusion rate
280
Suspensions
17.94%
Suspension rate
87 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,561 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with St Mary's Catholic High School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Mary's Catholic High School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Mary's Catholic High School is in Wigan; for families living there:
Apply to Wigan for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 4
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 3 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Wigan is 10 (the median across 146 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at St Mary's Catholic High School
Will you get a place at St Mary's Catholic High School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Mary's Catholic High School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Mary's Catholic High School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Mary's Catholic High School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Wigan, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Mary's Catholic High School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Wigan got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
93%
Near capacity
1,554 pupils
1,667 places
113 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Manchester
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Manchester
Across Wigan council
Places available
4,061
Applications
3,718
Got 1st preference
91.1%
Got preferred school
97.6%
All secondary applications across Wigan council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(12)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
191
SEN Support
40
EHC Plans
15.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,537
Total Pupils
736
Boys
801
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
97
Teachers
15.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£59,518
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,792
Per pupil
£9438k
Total funding
£270k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
8.7%
Overall absence
21.4%
Persistent absence
1,348
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
St Mary's Catholic High School
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about St Mary's Catholic High School
What are GCSE results like at St Mary's Catholic High School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at St Mary's Catholic High School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 47.1. 46% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is St Mary's Catholic High School's Ofsted rating?
St Mary's Catholic High School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in April 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Mary's Catholic High School?
No fixed boundary. When St Mary's Catholic High School is oversubscribed, Wigan allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Mary's Catholic High School?
St Mary's Catholic High School was not full in 2025: it ran at 93% of its 1667 places.
How big are the classes at St Mary's Catholic High School?
Classes at St Mary's Catholic High School average 20.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Mary's Catholic High School?
St Mary's Catholic High School has around 1537 pupils on roll. 19% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Mary's Catholic High School?
8.7% of sessions were missed at St Mary's Catholic High School in 2024/25. 21.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Mary's Catholic High School?
Apply through Wigan's coordinated admissions process, naming St Mary's Catholic High School on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near St Mary's Catholic High School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 3 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Wigan is 10 (the median across 146 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Mary's Catholic High School?
St Mary's Catholic High School is at Manchester Road, Astley, Manchester, M29 7EE.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)